The Dubai Duty Free Championships were going incredibly well for Grigor Dimitrov this year, but it all came crumbling down after his shock defeat by Malek Jaziri. While Dimitrov might be doing much better for himself lately with his recent five-set win against Jared Donaldson at Roland Garros, the painful loss in Dubai is still a bitter memory in fan’s minds and many are finding themselves asking what went wrong?That’s what we’re here to explore in more detail. Below, we’re taking a look at that fateful match and just what had Dimitrov practically giving away points.

The Build Up: What Were We Expecting?

The Dubai Championships were about to get underway and fans were waiting eagerly for the match announcements – and the nit happened. The first round match pairings became public knowledge, and Grigor Dimitrov was a seed 1 player destined to face off against the No. 117ATP-ranked Malek Jaziri. There seemed to be no chance of Dimitrov losing, with fans and bookies alike having him down as a sure win with talk of his second round opponents already surfacing.

This season would be the second time that Dimitrov graced the Dubai stage, though the first time he lose to Richard Guasquet, so speculation was rife as to whether he could break the chain before it even happened. Expectations were high, the bets were rolling in and fans were eagerly awaiting those first matches. Now, we have to remember that Dimitrov was sitting pretty at No. 4, mingling with top players in the men’s game like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, so the outlook was pretty good for the Bulgarian player – until the game started.

The Match

The first set of the match went how most had expected it would – Dimitrov claimed victory in this opening set and things were looking up already. As you might expect, however, this didn’t last.
In fact, what followed was a match filled with back and forth and no clear winner, but through hard work and determination, it was Jaziri that eventually won out with 4-6 7-5 6-4. As heartbreaking as it was to see Dimitrov walk away so early on in the competition, the game was one worth a watch. The nail-biting experience had fans on the edges of their seats,with no advantages on either side that provided easy wins. It was frustrating,it was exciting, it was thrilling and all in all, it was an incredible game to watch.

However, Dimitrov failed to win and given his world ranking, the question had to be asked as to why the 34-year-old managed to win against the experienced Bulgarian.

So,What Went Wrong?

These questions have gone mostly unanswered until now, not least because there simply wasn’t any single, straight answer that could be given. Talks of Dimitrov’s previous illness and Jaziri’s previous success in Dubai had all been considered as reasons, and could very well the cause of Dimitrov’s loss.
In early 2018, Grigor Dimitrov found himself having fallen ill with an unknown virus that had been affecting his ability to play. After a loss against Roger Federer, which hadn’t been the first time, even he acknowledged Dimitrov’s illness, claiming that “[he] was expecting it to be tough. [He] expected to be in trouble to be quite honest.” While he seemed to be recovering by the time the Dubai Championships came around, he was seen coughing after the match against Jaziri, which could’ve very well explained a less-than-perfect performance. Further than that, Dimitrov still doesn’t appear to be at his best with his health, which could point to an underlying issue that could be affecting his overall play.

Then, of course, we have Jaziri’s success on the Dubai court. Jaziri has made no secret of the fact that feels comfortable playing in Dubai, and with his history of playing top-ranking players on those very same courts, he’d been building up experience with some of the world’s greatest. What’s more, his quarter-final best in the Dubai Duty Free Championships in 2014 is plenty proof that the Tunisian player certainly has some tricks up his sleeve when it comes to playing against top-seeders.

Tennis can be a highly competitive sport at the best of times, but when those looking to fight their way up the rankings are put alongside leading players, fans are practically guaranteed an enthusiastic match. Dimitrov’s loss to Jaziri was a devastating one for his fans considering he’s certainly got a much better track record, but the Tunisian player certainly deserves congratulations. With time to rest and recover in the way of health and time to get back out on the courts and regain his momentum, Dimitrov could be back on his feet in no time.

Grigor Dimitrov beat No 57 American Jared Donaldson in 4 hours and 20 minutes five-set match 6-7(2) 6-4 4-6 6-4 10-8. This was Grigor's 50th win at Grand Slam tournaments. Dimitrov advanced to the third round of Roland Garros for the 3rd time in his career. The 4th seeded Bulgarian will have the chance to pass to the 4th round in a match against No 35 Fernando Verdasco of Spain.

“It's great to win a match in five sets. I think it stays with you, you keep it, and especially on clay and out here at [Roland Garros]... It was one of those matches that I didn't play my best, but I managed a way to win. And when one thing wasn't going well, the physical part was great,” Dimitrov said.

Grigor Dimitrov was to play the Serbian Victor Troicki in the first round of Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year. Only one hour before the match it was announced that Troicki withdrew due to injury and the lucky loser Mohamed Safwat of Egypt took is his place. Grigor Dimitrov needed a bit more than two hours to beat the Egyptian three sets 6-1 6-4 7-6(1).

“We spent a bit of time [together] when we played juniors,” revealed Dimitrov. “I [have] known him for quite some time. He's a great guy.”

The 4th seeded Grigor Dimitrov hit 31 winners and won 88 per cent of his first serve points.

This was Dimitrov's 49th Grand Slam tournament win (49 - 30 win/loss ratio). Roland Garros is the least successful tournament of the 4 Grands Slams as Dimitrov has only 6 wins here. The rest of the wins are at Australian Open - 20, Wimbledon - 15 and US Open - 8.

In the second round of Roland Garros on Wednesday Grigor Dimitrov will play 57th ranked Jared Donaldson of the USA.

Grigor Dimitrov lost to Fernando Verdasco of Spain in the second round of BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells 6-7(4) 6-4 3-6. This is the 3rd consecutive loss of the Bulgarian after defeats in the final in Rotterdam to Roger Federer and in the first round to Malek Jaziri in Dubai.

Grigor Dimitrov will play next at Miami Open starting from 19 March.

Grigor Dimitrov is the top ranked player and seed 1 of the ATP 500 tournament in Dubai from 26 February 2018. In the first round the Bulgarian will play Malek Jaziri of Tunisia, No 116, who enters the main draw of the tournament with wild card. Dimitrov and the 34-years-old Tunisian have not played any matches so far.

Potential second round opponents of Dimitrov are Robin Haase and Paolo Lorenzi. The first seeded player who Dimitrov could meet is the German Philipp Kohlscreiber, No 35. The other seeded players in Dimitrov's half of the draw are Roberto Bautista-Agut and Richard Guasquet. The second best-ranked player and leader of the second half of the draw is the Frenchman Lucas Pouille.

This will the second participation of Grigor to Dubai Duty Free Championships. The Bulgarian played in the qualifications in 2011 to reach the main draw where he lost in the first round to Richard Guasquet.

After skipping the home tournament Sofia Open Grigor Dimitrov will take part at the ATP 500 tournament in Rotterdam during the week of 12 February. The Bulgarian is seed 2 and leads the lower half of the main draw. In the first round Dimitrov will play No 41 Japanese Yuichi Sugita. The first seeded player Grigor Dimitrov could face is the Frenchman Lucas Pouille, Seed 7, No 17. The other seeded players in Grigor's half of the draw are David Goffin and Tomas Berdych. The seeded participants in the first half of the draw are Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev, Stan Wawrinka and Gilles Muller.

Last year Grigor Dimitrov reached the quarterfinals in Rotterdam where he lost to David Goffin.

Grigor Dimitrov will not defend his title of last year at Sofia Open ATP 250 tournament next week. The best Bulgarian tennis player announced in a press release to the media that he will skip the tournament.

"I and my team had to take one of the most difficult decisions: to skip this year's edition of the tournament in Sofia. Earlier today I had my last med consultation. Unfortunately I will not be at 100% ready for the next week. If I play it would lead to additional risks and complications. I will miss the Bulgarian spectators and that incredible week I had last year. I would like to thank to Sofia Open for their patience and efforts to organize a tournament of ATP level in Bulgaria. Thank you all for the support" Grigor Dimitrov wrote.

Grigor Dimitrov ended the hopes of the Australians for home champion in 42 years with win over Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round of Australian Open. Third seed Grigor Dimitrov won in the night session at Rod Laver Arena 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 7-6 (7-4).

"Playing against Nick is always tricky, two weeks ago I lost against him. He was serving unbelievably, playing unbelievably," said Dimitrov. "He fought really hard and it's one of those matches you have to take any opportunity you have. Even serving for the match I felt it wasn't over. I am just glad to get through that match."

On Tuesday Grigor Dimitrov will play the Brit Kyle Edmund in the quarterfinals. Grigor defeated Edmund two weeks ago in Brisbane.

Third seed Grigor Dimitrov advanced to the last 16 of the Australian Open on Friday with a four set win over the young Russian Andrey Rublev. The Bulgarian beat the 30th seed 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-4 in three hours on Rod Laver Arena as temperatures reached 40°C.

Dimitrov made 15 double faults and 61 unforced errors with 26 errors from his otherwise strong backhand side.

“These are the most important matches for me, when things are not working and I’m able to find a way,” said Dimitrov. “I knew what to expect. I knew what I had to do. Certain things in my game are not working at the moment. I’m just pleased to win the match."

In the fourth round Grigor Dimitrov will play the Australian Nick Kyrgios whom he lost to at the semifinals Brisbane International 2 weeks ago.

World number 3 Grigor Dimitrov was pushed to the limit before scraping past 186th ranked Mackenzie McDonald of the United States who entered the main draw from the qualifications.

The Bulgarian who many experts consider as one of the favorites for the title at Australian Open, managed to win 4-6 6-2 6-4 0-6 8-6 within 3 hours and 25 minutes.

"He deserves a lot of credit. He played an unbelievable game," said Dimitrov. "I had to fight so much and in the end I think my experience helped me."

"I'm so happy with the result and the fight."

In the third round on Friday Grigor Dimitrov will play No 32 Andrey Rublev. The Russian won the only match against Dimitrov - in the second round of US Open in 2017.